GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The first city police SUV patrol vehicle, set to hit the road next week, has the same navy blue color and red police labeling authorities are used to driving around Grand Rapids, but a whole different feel.

Officers will slide in rather than bending down multiple times during a work shift and will have significantly more room to move around inside.

No more will people under arrest need to bend their knees to the side in order to fit in the backseat. The secured rear compartment, outfitted with both front and rear caging for protection, offers several more inches of needed foot space, said police Sgt. Geoff Collard, who oversees the department’s pool of service vehicles.

The result, he said, should be a much more positive on-the-road experience for both officers and the public.

The Grand Rapids City Commission in March gave the green light needed for the purchase of 15 Ford Interceptor Utility vehicles, valued at a total price of about $384,000. The purchase comes after Ford chose to discontinue production of the traditional Crown Victoria.

The agency in January ordered one Ford Police Interceptor sedan and one Ford Police Interceptor utility after test-driving a number of potential police vehicles, including the Dodge Charger and the Chevrolet Caprice, which is currently being phased in for use by Kent County sheriff’s deputies. Testing showed the utility vehicle would work best for the department's needs.

The department will introduce a second SUV shortly after the first one hits the road and then continue to phase out its approximately 80 Ford Crown Victoria Patrol cars and move completely to the new vehicles within the next four to five years as they are needed, Collard said.

Included inside the new ride will be existing radios and computer mounts owned by the department.

But the back fabric-covered seat was completely removed and replaced with a more durable and easy-to-clean hard one, more suitable for the sometimes messy job of transporting those under arrest to the Kent County Jail, Collard said.

No longer will officers have to guide citizens down and into the vehicle. Officers will have a better handle on them as they move straight into the backseat.

City Physician Julienne Little earlier referenced the ergonomic bonuses of the Interceptor Utility vehicles as she acknowledged officers will be able to use them as a “healthy tool instead of a safety risk.”

“When you’re using that for your office space 12 hours a day it can be miserable,” Collard said, of working out of a vehicle. He anticipated the change over will make the experience more positive.

The SUVs have additional trunk space. Officers this winter are expected to see further advantages as they travel city roads after significant snowfalls.

In previous years, Collard said, the department has had to borrow vehicles capable of making it down heavily snow-covered roads or even rent them. The Utility vehicle patrol fleet will eliminate that hassle.

The SUVs will come at a $1,720 cost increase from the sedan. That upfront cost is expected to balance out with lower maintenance expenses.

The vehicles have E85-capable V6 engines with idle technology, a contrast to the existing V-8 engines in the Crown Victoria’s. The estimated operational cost difference of using SUVs is expected to be only about $1 more per day, per vehicle, Collard said.